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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Numismatics| ▸ |Archaic Origins||View Options:  |  |  |   

Archaic Origins - The First Coins of Mankind

The coins below are among the first struck by mankind. Coins struck in the later classical and Hellenistic periods, but in archaic or archaized style are also included here. Click here to read "From the Origin of Coins to Croesus."

Persian Empire, Lydia, Anatolia, Darius II - Artaxerxes II, c. 420 - 375 B.C.

|Persian| |Lydia|, |Persian| |Empire,| |Lydia,| |Anatolia,| |Darius| |II| |-| |Artaxerxes| |II,| |c.| |420| |-| |375| |B.C.||1/4| |siglos|
This type was minted in Lydia, Anatolia, while under Persian control, prior to Alexander the Great's conquest. The Persian or Achaemenid Empire (c. 550 - 330 B.C.) was the largest empire in ancient history extending across Asia, Africa and Europe, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of Central Asia, Asia Minor, Thrace and Macedonia, much of the Black Sea coastal regions, Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine and Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and much of ancient Egypt as far west as Libya.Persian Empire
GA114725. Silver 1/4 siglos, Carradice type IV B; BMC Arabia p. 167, 143, pl. XXVI, 27; Rosen 679; Sunrise 37, F, toned, porous, tiny edge crack, weight 1.308 g, maximum diameter 10.4 mm, Sardis (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 420 - 375 B.C.; obverse kneeling-running figure of the Great King right, drawing bow, bearded, crowned, quiver at shoulder; reverse rectangular incuse; rare denomination; $110.00 SALE PRICE $99.00
 


Persian Empire, Lydia, Anatolia, Darius II - Artaxerxes II, c. 420 - 375 B.C.

|Persian| |Lydia|, |Persian| |Empire,| |Lydia,| |Anatolia,| |Darius| |II| |-| |Artaxerxes| |II,| |c.| |420| |-| |375| |B.C.||siglos|NEW
A number of markings in the reverse dies of sigloi of this same Carradice type and group are known. All are rare. This reverse die is published in the "The Dinar Hoard of Persian Sigloi" in Studies Price. Carradice does not recognize the "olive leaf" in his description.
GS114954. Silver siglos, Carradice Type| IV (middle) B; Carradice Price 264 (same dies), aVF, obv. flatly struck, die wear, weight 5.276 g, maximum diameter 16.9 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) or subsidiary mint, c. 420 - 375 B.C.; obverse bearded Great King kneeling right, dagger drawn back in right, bow in left; reverse oblong incuse punch, "olive leaf"(?) inside incuse; extremely rare variant; $110.00 SALE PRICE $99.00
 


Lesbos, c. 550 - 480 B.C.

|Lesbos|, |Lesbos,| |c.| |550| |-| |480| |B.C.||1/24| |stater|NEW
A most unusual use of illusion on a coin. The two confronting boars' heads can also be viewed as the facing head of a panther.
GA114015. Billon 1/24 stater, Klein 349; BMC Troas p. 152, 18; SNG Cop 289; SNG Mün 648; HGC 6 1071 (R2) var. (M above on obv.), VF, well centered, marks, porosity, light deposits, weight 0.579 g, maximum diameter 8.5 mm, uncertain Koinon of Lesbos mint, c. 550 - 480 B.C.; obverse confronting boar heads, creating the illusion of a facing head of a panther, ΛΕΣ above; reverse quadripartite incuse square; very rare; $100.00 SALE PRICE $90.00
 


Lesbos, c. 500 - 450 B.C.

|Lesbos|, |Lesbos,| |c.| |500| |-| |450| |B.C.||1/12| |stater|NEW
A most unusual use of illusion on a coin. The two confronting boars' heads can also be viewed as the facing head of a panther.
GA114944. Billon 1/12 stater, SNGvA 7712; SNG Munchen 646; Rosen 542; BMC Troas p. 151, 15; HGC 6 1069 (R2); SNG Cop -, VF, dark toning, rev. encrusted, weight 1.175 g, maximum diameter 9.7 mm, uncertain Koinon of Lesbos mint, c. 500 - 450 B.C.; obverse confronting boar heads, creating the illusion of a facing head of a panther; reverse incuse square punch, M in one quarter; $100.00 SALE PRICE $90.00
 


Apollonia Pontika, Thrace, c. 540 - 470 B.C.

|Apollonia| |Pontica|, |Apollonia| |Pontika,| |Thrace,| |c.| |540| |-| |470| |B.C.||hemiobol|
Apollonia Pontica was founded as Antheia by Greek colonists from Miletus in the 7th century B.C. They soon changed its name to Apollonia after building a temple for Apollo. The temple contained a colossal statue of Apollo by Calamis, which was later taken to Rome and placed in the Capitol. The anchor on the coinage is evidence of the importance of its maritime trade.
GA113849. Silver hemiobol, SNG Bulgaria II 95; Topalov Apollonia p. 570, 17; SNG Stancomb 32; HGC 3.2 1326 (R1), VF, tight flan, weight 0.412 g, maximum diameter 6.8 mm, Apollonia Pontica (Sozopol, Bulgaria) mint, c. 540 - 470 B.C.; obverse anchor flukes up, large flukes, perpendicular crossbar, four pellets below; reverse swastika pattern, bends to right (clockwise), ends forked, two lines parallel to ends in each quarter; rare; $90.00 SALE PRICE $81.00
 


Iberian Celts, Hacksilver, c. 300 - 150 B.C.

|Hacksilver|, |Iberian| |Celts,| |Hacksilver,| |c.| |300| |-| |150| |B.C.||fragment|
Hacksilver or hacksilber, are fragments of cut and bent silver items treated as bullion, either for ease of carrying before melting down for re-use, or simply used as currency by weight. It was common in trade until the first century B.C. and again in the middle ages with the Vikings.
CE95745. Hacksilver fragment, cf. Garcia-Bellido 393, Kim and Kroll 66, Van Alfen Hacksilber 85; cut from a bar or disc ingot, 1.75g, 24.1mm long, weight 11.752 g, maximum diameter 24.1 mm, $70.00 SALE PRICE $63.00
 


Iberian Celts, Hacksilver, c. 300 - 150 B.C.

|Hacksilver|, |Iberian| |Celts,| |Hacksilver,| |c.| |300| |-| |150| |B.C.||fragment|
Hacksilver or hacksilber, are fragments of cut and bent silver items treated as bullion, either for ease of carrying before melting down for re-use, or simply used as currency by weight. It was common in trade until the first century B.C. and again in the middle ages with the Vikings.
CE97982. Hacksilver fragment, cf. Van Alfen Hacksilber 57, Kim and Kroll 59, Garcia-Bellido 393; 8.349g, 19.3mm long, $65.00 SALE PRICE $58.50
 


Ionia, c. 650 - 600 B.C., Striated Type

|Archaic| |Electrum|, |Ionia,| |c.| |650| |-| |600| |B.C.,| |Striated| |Type||Hekte| |(1/6| |Stater)|
Mankind's first coin type with an obverse and reverse! Rare and important. The earliest dated coin hoard was deposited in the foundation of the Artemision, the temple of Artemis at Ephesos, as an offering during construction, c. 600 B.C. These earliest coins, which included this type, were struck from electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver found as nuggets in the rivers and streams of Lydia and Ionia. This striated type is the first type to have an obverse design in addition to the reverse punch. Because of its simple obverse design, it is described by some authorities as the first true coin.
SH82694. Electrum Hekte (1/6 Stater), Milesian standard; Weidauer 6, Traité I 12, SNGvA 1769, SNG Kayhan 680, Karwiese Artemision I.6, SNG Fitzwilliam -, Rosen -, Zhuyuetang -, VF, weight 2.365 g, maximum diameter 8.7 mm, Ionia, uncertain mint, c. 650 - 600 B.C.; obverse flattened striated surface; reverse two rough approximately square incuse punches; ex Harlan J. Berk; rare and important; SOLD


Phokaia, Ionia, c. 625 - 522 B.C.

|Archaic| |Electrum|, |Phokaia,| |Ionia,| |c.| |625| |-| |522| |B.C.||Hekte| |(1/6| |Stater)|
Phocaea, or Phokaia, was an ancient Ionian Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the colony of Massalia (modern day Marseille, in France) in 600 B.C., Emporion (modern day Empúries, in Catalonia, Spain) in 575 B.C. and Elea (modern day Velia, in Campania, Italy) in 540 B.C.
SH86204. Electrum Hekte (1/6 Stater), Triton XVI, lot 464; Bodenstedt - (cf. Em. 1), aEF, well centered and struck, small edge cracks, weight 2.575 g, maximum diameter 10.3 mm, die axis 0o, Phokaia (Foca, Turkey) mint, c. 625/0 - 522 B.C.; obverse forepart of seal right, dolphin swimming downward behind, annulet or ring below; reverse irregular incuse square punch; ex Numismatik Naumann auction 40, lot 270; extremely rare; SOLD


Lydian Kingdom, Kroisos, c. 561 - 546 B.C.

|Lydian| |Kingdom|, |Lydian| |Kingdom,| |Kroisos,| |c.| |561| |-| |546| |B.C.||siglos| |(half-stater)|
The Lydian King Croesus minted the first silver and gold coins. He was famous for his extraordinary wealth, but after his defeat by Cyrus in 546 B.C. Lydia became a Persian satrapy. The Persian conquerors of Lydia continued to strike the same Croesus' silver half siglos and gold stater types. This coin is an early example issued under Croesus. We can tell it is an early example because the lion and the bull were struck separately, with one punch at a time. Later examples appear to have been struck with single punch only made to look like two separate punches.
GA33281. Silver siglos (half-stater), BMC Lydia p. 7, 45, pl. 1, 18; SNG Cop 456; SNG Kayhan 1024; SNG Ashmolean 762; SNGvA 2877; Rosen 663; SGCV II 3420, gVF, weight 5.375 g, maximum diameter 16.3 mm, probably Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 561 - 546 B.C.; obverse on the left, forepart of a roaring lion right, confronting, on the right, the forepart of a bull left; reverse two incuse square punches, of unequal size, side by side; SOLD




  



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REFERENCES

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